Long-Term Test: 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium

Why We Bought It
Durability
Performance and Fuel Economy
Retained Value
Summing Up

Inside Line's 12-month test of the 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium is complete. We accumulated more than 24,000 miles with Audi's interpretation of the ultimate sport-utility, a combination of seven-passenger practicality and the style and V8 power of a European sport sedan. Is this the large car of the future, an all-wheel-drive vehicle that adapts to family errands or personal adventures as easily as it does to all kinds of terrain or weather?

Why We Bought It
Audi has been trying to make a breakthrough in America for a long time. While it has attracted lots of enthusiasm from enthusiasts, the company has been struggling to find a vehicle that will lift its sales in North America above the 100,000 mark where they have been for much of the last decade. A sport-utility seemed like the perfect answer.

As it developed the Q7, Audi had a lot of good stuff to work with. It adapted a platform developed for the Porsche Cayenne (and also shared with the Volkswagen Touareg) that had a reputation for impressive dynamics on the road and offered the right mix of hardware and electronics for extraordinary capability off-road as well. It had an impressive engine in its 4.2-liter V8 that could deliver power on par with rival V8s from BMW and Porsche. And it had a design department with a keen appreciation for American luxury, a unique mix of practicality and indulgence.

The Audi Q7 promised to be a different kind of sport-utility from a European manufacturer, a vehicle more like a fine touring sedan than a sports car. It acknowledged that three rows of seats and cupholders were an integral part of life in an SUV in America, and that performance on the open road means far more than advertising photography from remote red-rock canyons in Utah or winding mountain passes in the Alps. To us, the Audi Q7 represents the modern sport-utility, more like a passenger car than a pickup truck — and not just any old passenger car, but instead an Audi.

Durability
We found the Q7 to have two distinct driving personalities. Its electronic stability control disliked any overlap between throttle and brake action around town, and it made this Audi a dynamic seesaw in stop-and-go situations. Efforts to finesse the pedals and smooth the transition between braking and acceleration at low speeds were futile. On the highway, where these elements are not a factor, the SUV drives with the refinement we've come to expect from Audi.

In our long-term blog, Senior Editor Erin Riches described the Q7 city driving experience well. She wrote, "I find that our Q7 drives around town like a heavy orthopedic shoe. It weighs over 5,400 pounds, remember. The brakes grab abruptly with every flutter of the pedal. And the transmission shifts in an obtrusive, halting manner whether in drive or Sport mode. Those of short torso might also struggle to find a comfortable driving position. I feel like I can't get the seat high enough to see over the tall hood."

There are redeeming qualities to the Audi as a practical highway ride, of course. Vehicle Testing Assistant Mike Schmidt notes, "There is no other vehicle in the long-term fleet right now that I prefer when it comes time to feed my cravings for buffet food and blackjack. Give me the keys, and I'm off to Vegas. Comfortable seats, a smooth ride and reasonably quiet cabin are soothing. And sometimes that's just what you need when heading home with fewer chips than you brought."

There is no questioning the high quality of materials inside the cabin of the Q7. There is something to be said about a car with over 24,000 miles that still has its new-car smell. As the 8-year-old daughter of Dan Edmunds, director of vehicle testing, said after a trip in the Q7, "Daddy, can we keep this? I like the zero-zero-zero-zero company." When it comes to interior quality, the Audi does not disappoint.

Space is something the Q7 has plenty of, and it proves its worth as a people mover. After hitting a few balls at a local golf course, Lead Senior Editor Ed Hellwig piled four friends and five golf bags into the Audi. Hellwig comments, "That wouldn't have been possible had I been driving our long-term Chevrolet Tahoe."

The Q7's Multi Media Interface (MMI) can be overwhelming at first glance. After a deep breath and a second look, even Inside Line Editor in Chief Scott Oldham (a known technophobe) was quick to point out the superiority of this layout to other systems on the market. Oldham proclaims, "Audi's MMI is exactly 4 million times easier to use than BMW's iDrive or Mercedes-Benz's COMAND."

The Maintenance Dimension
Maintenance played more of a role in our ownership of the Q7 than we had originally thought. Our first service was free at Audi of Santa Monica. This freebie was it, because free scheduled maintenance on Audis ended with the 2006 model year. Some dealerships offered maintenance plans at the time of purchase to the tune of about $500. We didn't buy in since we only own our test vehicles for a year, so we saved some dough. We only spent $157 on routine maintenance items for the Q7, but this doesn't scratch the surface when it comes to the overall cost to keep our Audi on the road.

A cracked foglight was brought to our attention early on. We were quoted $146 for a new one, but at the time decided we could live with the damage. What we couldn't live without was Sirius Satellite Radio. When our promotional subscription ended, we bought another year of service for $142.

Our Q7 was nearly invincible over the first 20,000 miles of ownership. Then we spent more money. A large bolt punctured a rear tire near the sidewall and we spent $320 for a replacement 19-inch Goodyear Eagle LS2 tire (including mounting and balancing). Just shy of 24K miles the obnoxious squealing of metal on metal warned us we needed front brake pads. This set us back over $400 more, mostly due to labor costs.

There was one notable issue during our test. The highly praised MMI system had a meltdown. A failure with the telephone transceiver caused the audio system to mute every 17 seconds. It was fixed under an open service campaign and covered under warranty. Also fixed under warranty during our test was a latch for the rear sunshade.

By the time our test of the Audi Q7 came to a close, we came to know our service team at Audi of Santa Monica very well. And we were not impressed. Some of this we attribute to employee turnover at the time. Some of it was simple neglect. A disgruntled A4 owner standing beside us referred to the lack of a waiting room, asking, "Couldn't they give us a bench at least?"

Parts rarely seemed to be in stock or easily attainable. Availability isn't the fault of the service advisor, but we expected him to call us when he encountered an issue; instead we would arrive at the dealership for a scheduled service, only to be told to return the next day because the parts weren't yet in stock. We were also not impressed when we popped the hood following one visit to Santa Monica Audi and discovered that a mechanic had left a pair of channel-lock pliers in the engine bay.

Vehicle Testing Assistant Mike Magrath was our dealer liaison during this time. He summarized the experience by saying, "This kind of service would be acceptable, charming even, at Bill's House of Chicken and Brakes. At an Audi dealer it is not."

Total Body Repair Costs: None
Total Routine Maintenance Costs (over 12 months): $156.62, includes wipers
Additional Maintenance Costs: $727.18 to replace one tire and front brakes, $142.45 for Sirius after 3-month promotional period expired
Warranty Repairs: Replace faulty telephone transceiver, parking brake module, rear sun shade latch. Update ECM software for the instrument cluster, MP3-CD changer and automatic rear hatch per open service campaigns.
Non-Warranty Repairs: Replace damaged tire and front brakes
Scheduled Dealer Visits: 2
Unscheduled Dealer Visits: 4
Days Out of Service: None
Breakdowns Stranding Driver: None

Performance and Fuel Economy
Our final test of the 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium revealed that its performance abilities had survived the year intact. The Audi completed the quarter-mile in 15.9 seconds both at the beginning of its term with us and at the end, although its trap speed slowed fractionally from 89.1 mph to 88.2 after 20,000 miles of use.

The Q7's speed in the slalom also didn't waver from 60.3 mph, and its lateral grip actually improved from 0.79g to 0.82g. (A change in the test surface is probably responsible.) Once our new brakes bedded in properly, the Q7's braking performance also improved, as it came to a halt from 60 mph in a lengthy 143 feet at 1,000 miles and then shortened to 123 feet at the end of its term. Chief Road Test Editor Chris Walton comments, "The brakes didn't fade at all. The pedal never went soft or dead and the ABS is nearly silent."

Over its 24,000-mile stretch in the fleet, the Q7 averaged more than 14 mpg. Our highest recorded fuel economy was 19 mpg, and the worst a paltry 8 mpg. A cruising range of more than 400 miles makes this SUV a good long-distance cruiser, although a 26-gallon tank and the V8's preference for premium fuel makes a visit to the gas station very expensive.

Best Fuel Economy: 19.2 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 8.0 mpg
Average Fuel Economy: 14.4 mpg

Retained Value
Our 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 held its value rather well in comparison to the competition. We consulted Edmunds' TMV^® calculator to determine the Q7's depreciation by the conclusion of our test. It depreciated 22 percent, which signifies a drop of more than $13,510 from its starting MSRP of $62,420.

This compares to the 23 percent depreciation in the value of the 2006 Mercedes-Benz R500. We speculate that this is largely a function of a prestige nameplate packed with accessories that appeal to a very select audience. A comparison with a similarly priced luxury sedan might provide some added perspective.

True Market Value at service end: $48,910
Depreciation: $13,510 or 22 percent of original MSRP
Final Odometer Reading: 24,102

Summing Up
We agree across the board that the interior refinement of the 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium is impressive. MMI is easy to use. The available third-row seat is suitable for kids and sometimes for adults, although we most appreciated the added cargo volume that the long-wheelbase Q7 affords over the Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg.

Our ranks have been divided by the Q7 driving experience, however. There were those who found Audi's stumbling city drive so unforgivable that it overshadowed its smooth highway presence. Others were so pleased by its highway manners that they could almost forgive its stop-and-go shortcomings.

The Audi Q7 lives up to its luxury SUV title, but luxury isn't cheap. One year and 24,000 miles cost us an additional $1,200 to keep the Q7 at 100 percent. That's a hundred bucks a month, not including the 1,667 gallons of premium gasoline we burned.

The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.